{% include "includes/auth/janrain/signIn_traditional.html" with message='It looks like you are already verified. If you still have trouble signing in, you probably need a new confirmation link email.' %}

Villanova fans will be howling if coach Jay Wright’s team fails to get out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament again – especially if the Wildcats were to lose to city rival Temple. (Getty Images)

There are other regions with possible second-round matchups to make a college hoops fan’s arm hairs stand up – Texas-Texas A&M in the West and Indiana-Kentucky in the East … Purdue-Iowa State and Seton Hall-Utah in the Midwest. But only the South could serve up four games with the talent and intensity levels to feel like Sweet 16 or Elite 8 games rather than Round of 32 matchups.

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 9 UConn: Quick: Which school has won two of last five NCAA Tournaments? UConn. The Huskies under Kevin Ollie made a national-title run as a No. 7 seed in 2014. UConn was on the bubble before winning the AAC Tournament title, and faster than you can say Shabazz Napier, Ollie’s group has morphed into that team “no one wants to face.”

No. 4 California vs. No. 5 Maryland: There will be five or six first-round NBA draft picks on the court for this game. Cal’s backcourt of Tyrone Wallace and Jordan Mathews is the personification of the phrase “you need great guard play in March” and freshman forwards Jaylen Brown (6-7) and Ivan Rabb (6-11) will likely be shaking Adam Silver’s hand in the near future. Maryland’s backcourt of Melo Trimble and Rasheed Sulaimon isn’t too shabby, and freshman big man Diamond Stone has the game to match his name.

No. 3 Miami vs. No. 6 Arizona: A deep, veteran Miami team with a coach in Jim Larranaga who knows how to win in March meets a deep, veteran Arizona team with a coach who knows how to win in March. The guard matchups — Gabe York and Allonzo Trier of Arizona vs. Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan — would be tremendous.

No. 2. Villanova vs. No. 10 Temple: Oh, man. Jay Wright hopes Iowa snaps its late-season funk and seeds hold when the No. 7 Hawkeyes face the Owls in the first round. Because for all Villanova’s misery in recent NCAA Tournaments (its last trip to the Sweet 16 was in 2009), NOTHING would sting like losing to its Philly rival in the second round.